Out of the Darkness
by PierceTheVeils
Summary: One last mission, and the Trix are free of their obligations. But freedom has a price. The brutal assassination of a certain prince leaves the Winx girls off balance, but determined to catch the culprit. They're all worlds apart, yet inexplicably linked. (full summary inside)
1. Prologue

Summary:

One last mission, and the Trix are free of their obligations. But freedom has a price. The brutal assassination of a certain prince leaves the Winx girls off balance, though still determined to catch the culprit. They're all worlds apart, yet inexplicably linked. Meanwhile, an underestimated threat lingers above them all, and the cost of doing what's right is raised higher and higher. After all, who would be brave (or stupid) enough to risk such insurmountable odds? With the entire universe against them, was there ever a chance?

**Disclaimer: Neither I nor my partner (who would like to be known as StrangeMindEnigma) owns Winx, but current plotlines, certain locations, etc. are our own. All reviews are both welcomed and appreciated. We never (and never will) claim to own Winx, so this disclaimer goes for all chapters.**

Prologue

…

"So… will you pay?" The three spoke as one. Their unified voices bounced off the blackened cave walls, creating eerie echoes.

Selia froze. Am I really willing to give that much up to bring my enemies down? Unsure, Selia turned to her sister, Isilee, for guidance. Though none of them had any idea who the eldest was, Isilee possessed a quiet command that both Selia and her other sister, Drina, found relieving.

Isi's face was impassive as she approached them. The three ghosts of once extremely powerful beings crowded around her, but Isi didn't flinch. The one with a pale blue aura loomed above all as a devil, far too eager to snatch a soul.

When Selia could see her again, her sister was kneeling on the cold, rocky floor. Isi's hands formed the sign of submission, and her cherry red lips parted so she could speak. The words chilled Selia to the bone.

"I, Islesciya, daughter of those unknown, pledge my blood, life, mind, and soul to the cause of unseating those who have wronged me and the few I trust. I ask you, the Ancestral Witches, to remove all influences of compassion, sympathy, empathy, contentment, remorse, and love on me, for they will only weaken my resolve. I give these things up in exchange for magical power, enough to accomplish our merged goal." Though her calm expression never once wavered, Selia thought Isi must be dying inside. How could she possibly mean that?

One of the Ancestral Witches shot a blue bolt of magic at the girl who'd spoken. Selia had to struggle to prevent a scream.

Isilee was changing on the outside; that much was clear to her astonished sisters. Her sandy blonde hair was growing longer and turned a dazzling white, her bruised skin became paler and paler until it was only a few shades darker than her hair, her full red lips faded to a light pink, and her warm aquamarine eyes were shards of ice. Selia thought Isi looked like one of those villains from the horror stories; all she had to do now was dress the part.

Neither Drina nor Selia could stop staring. Finally, the spirit responsible for their sister's transformation spoke out, increasing the anxiety. "You have become what you must, witchling. Now rise as Icy, for the power of ice rests at your fingertips." The ghost then turned to the other two and added. "Don't worry, you'll both join your sister's ranks soon enough." Selia gulped.

One of the others, this one with a purple aura, called Drina to them. She scurried forward, face hidden, then fell to her shaking knees and pledged exactly what Isi, or Icy, had. Drina's physical change was less dramatic, but she still looked fairly scary at the end of it. To finish off, the one that invited her forward renamed Drina Darcy, because her power was that of darkness.

Finally, it was Selia's turn. She inhaled, and then took shaky steps towards the center of the cave. The smallest of the sisters knelt and formed the sign with haste. Words were long in coming. After several moments of charged silence, Selia managed to force the pledge out. She used the same words her sisters had, for she couldn't think of any way to rephrase the speech and even remotely mean it.

Then it all happened at once. Right when Selia finished speaking, a powerful jet of bright red light came straight for her. Selia hadn't actually moved a centimeter, but it felt like she'd been slammed into the cave wall. Great Dragon, it hurt!

Though didn't know what was going on at physical level, Selia felt a… change. Deep inside. It seemed like all the happiness she'd ever felt simply vaporized. Meanwhile, other emotions became stronger, more driving. Cold acceptance, numb sadness, and a smoldering desire for revenge consumed the young girl. To her, it felt as though nothing mattered more than meeting those desires.

The raging pain subsided. Selia thought it was done. But no. Something was, was growing inside her. It started out small, but steadily grew larger. Filling outward, a balloon with air. Without warning, the balloon popped. A million volts of unchanneled energy exploded in her core. Selia could feel it crackle and growl like lightning, feel it whirl and spin like a tornado. Then the energy raced up her spine and released a single word in that echoed in the recesses of her brain. Magic.

Selia rushed to understand. Magic was inside her, sizzling through her veins and sparking in her bones. It was what she had paid for, begged for. It was her sole weapon, but the same went for her enemies.

The underdeveloped witch finally saw how hollow she'd been before. She knew she hadn't been transformed, she'd been reborn. Selia would need to grow in power to do what everyone here wanted. All three of them would.

She was back in the lightless, dry cave. Her sisters were still watching intently from the sidelines. The witch in front of her still had its twisted hand outstretched. It spoke the ending phrase. "Our work is now complete. Rise as Stormy, for the bellowing storms are what gives you might."

Not trusting herself to speak, Stormy nodded and stood up. Her crackling power had faded to the back of her attention. As she walked toward her two sisters, it occurred to Stormy that she must look much like them. Such a thing pleased her. Her sisters had gone from being dull in appearance to so dangerously beautiful, no one could deny it. It was wickedly so, but so all the same.

The Ancestral Witches thought so too. "The dark beauty must come with it." One of them concluded.

Another joined in, reminding the sisters of how they came to be there. "We looked something like that, so long ago. Even as separate beings, we were far more impressive than our soft spawned rival." It sighed, reminiscing.

Right as the sisters linked arms to head back to camp at the sight of the creeping dawn, the ghosts decided to do that creepy talking-at-once thing again. "We shared blood and enemies from the day you were born. Now we share power and will. Someone needs to watch their back…"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Out of all the things that could have happened, it just had to be the worst. Rilei's plan was simple: Sneak into the castle, steal the royal jewels during the crowning of the planet's new king, slip out of the fortress, and sell the precious rocks to her client for some much needed money.

Of course, she hadn't planned on the crown prince to drop dead just before the crown was on his head. Or that a silver chopstick similar to the ones she has was impaled deep in his heart. Or that the wooden rafter she'd been holding onto snapped suddenly, letting her fall to the already shocked crowd below. Or that her cloak parted far enough to let everybody see a set of replicas to the weapon that killed their almost ruler snagged tightly under a rope that was wrapped around her waist.

Yeah, Rilei should have thought about it more. If she had, it probably would've saved her the trouble of knocking out the coming guards as she sprinted toward a nearby window, jump through it with the glass and all, plummet twenty meters as she tucked into a ball and rolled in the air, landing safely on her feet, and then run off into the forest with all the guards chasing her. Yep. It would really have saved her the trouble if Rilei had planned things out further.

Stopping to take a breath, Rilei took a quick look around. Tall trees reached for the sky as sunlight shone upon the vegetation filled dirt. She listened for a moment, hearing nothing but birds. Thinking she was safe, Rilei started to walk. But after taking around twenty-five paces, she heard a twig snap above her.

Instantly, Rilei stole a chopstick from her make-shift belt and launched it into the air. It whistled through the air as it flew, and sunk itself high into a tree trunk, right next to a young man her age.

He had shaggy brown hair with intelligent green eyes set in a sharp, angular face. He seemed small for his age, a bit shorter than most, but had a wiry build to make up for his height. His fair skinned body was clothed in a specialist suit with a thin, metallic staff on his back.

"You're quite the sharp girl," he grinned. The branch he stood upon showed no signs of cracking beneath his weight. "Come with me peacefully and no violence will be ensued in capturing you."

"Why should it matter?" Rilei stared at him coldly. "You and I both know execution is waiting for me if I get caught."

"Well that's the price you gotta pay for a murder. Especially since you did it to such a high political figure."

"I didn't do it."

"Then why were you hanging out in the rafters? Trying to steal the royal jewels, Shadow Dragon?" He tried to sound sarcastic, but couldn't quite pull it off.

Rilei was taken aback. "How did you know?"

His irksome smirk grew bigger. "You fit the rumors quite well. A clever thief who hides in the shadows unknown yet fights viciously like a dragon with an identity in the dark. Until now," he sighed, shaking in head in a patronizing way. "Before today, though, I couldn't believe a pretty girl like you could be capable of such wrong doings. Especially one so small."

Rilei decided right off the bat that she wouldn't mind him experiencing a whole world of pain right now.

"Well," she reached down beneath her cloak, "Pardon the cliché, but you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

It all happened so quickly, things must've been a blur to the boy. A few seconds later, the surprised teen found himself against bark. A great amount of shiny sticks pierced through his clothes, pinning him to the trunk of the tree and letting the famous Shadow Dragon run away freely.

Rilei was absolutely confident she'd had him back there, so she was pretty startled when the annoying specialist dropped down in front of her barely a minute later.

"How-" she started.

He only had small, barely noticeable holes in his suit, not rips. It should have been impossible not to have tears after getting out of that thumb tacked situation so fast!

"I'm a hyper fairy in disguise plotting the world's downfall," he shrugged.

"That's not even a real-"

Before she could finish that sentence, the self-proclaimed "fairy" grabbed his staff and swung it at her. Fortunately, Rilei dodged the blow before she could be knocked unconscious.

"Didn't you ever learn that you shouldn't let your opponent distract you?" He cocked one eyebrow.

Rilei then discovered she hated him with a burning passion that's as big as a bonfire. A very big bonfire.

"I know that like I know my way with a dagger!" she unsheathed a short sword from her rope belt.

Instead of looking even remotely afraid, the specialist only sighed. "Such a shame I have to fight a little girl."

Oh, Rilei was going to make. Him. Suffer.

She charged at him and slashed but he blocked the attack with his own, larger weapon. The clangs of metal against metal rang out into the woods as the two of them fought. Rilei hated admitting it, but the young man was proving himself to be quite a challenge. He avoided every offense she came up with and countered it with unexpected blows that might've proved fatal if Rilei hadn't averted them in the last second. If this keeps up, she would lose all her stamina. Unless… Quickly, Rilei formed a plan and pointed in the direction behind the guy.

"Great Dragon! Is that a drunk pixie kissing a tree?!" She cried out dramatically. Okay, it wasn't the greatest distraction, but Rilei wasn't very good at improv.

Believe it or not, her ruse actually worked. "Huh?" the boy turned around.

While he was distracted, Rilei grabbed his arm and flipped him over. He landed on the forest floor, hard. She then placed her left foot on his chest and firmly pushed him to the ground.

"Didn't you ever learn that you shouldn't let your opponent distract you?" It was her turn to cock an eyebrow. She grabbed one of the few chopsticks she had left, took aim, and then…

"Wait!" He yelled. The specialist didn't look scared, just had the message, hear me out, written across his face.

"What?" Rilei said impatiently.

"Spare me and I'll let you go without telling anyone!" he breathed.

Rilei paused for a heartbeat to think it over, then replied, "If I killed you or left you, it's gonna have the same results."

"Look, head southeast from here until you reach three mountains that look like teeth all in a row. Go to the smallest one, and find the red swirl at the summit of the mountain and tap it twelve times exactly with a medallion I'll give you if you don't take my life. After you do so, the mountain will open up to an underground path. Head down this way and you will find a secret village no one knows about. Show the guard at the moat the medallion you just tapped with and he or she should let you in."

It occurred to the thief that she could just kill the boy and rob his body at leisure, but she wasn't really in the habit of killing. Rilei had just wanted to scare the guy into leaving her alone.

But then again, why let him know that? "If this is a secret village that no one knows about, how come you know about it?" she asked, looking suspicious.

"I've…" he hesitated before proceeding to say, "… been there myself."

Rilei had the feeling there was more history between him and the place than the boy was letting on, but she decided not to press it. "Fine," she huffed as she lifted her foot off of his chest.

The specialist stood up on his own feet and handed her a round piece of gold. She inspected it to see a four pointed swirl painted on one side.

"Oh, and one more thing," he tossed a bundle to her from behind a nearby tree. It was the chopsticks she'd used against him.

"I'm guessing these are hard to come by," he explained.

"Why are you doing this?" Rilei questioned.

"I know you didn't kill the prince, but I don't know how," he said solemnly, then smiled devilishly as he spoke the next line. "Besides, I could never hurt a delicate girl like-"

He was cut off when a dagger was thrown at him, finding itself in a tree trunk one centimeter above his head. Rilei marched up and yanked it out of the plant. He jumped out of the way just in time.

"Finish that sentence and I'll reconsider my choice," she said, glaring.

…

High above the treetops, a certain witch with fake blonde hair had been watching the scene below.

"Interesting," Darcy purred.

She then flew toward the Ancestral Witches and her sisters to report on everything that was said and done.

"This could end up as fun," she smiled, like a predator that found its prey…

**A/N: PTV (PierceTheVeils) speaks: Just for clarification, I wrote the prologue and my co-author wrote chapter one. So if it looks like a different person wrote this chapter, that's because it was. I write the prologue and every chapter with an even number, and SME (StrangeMindEnigma) writes all odd, plus epilogue. Hope this prevents any confusion you might have. Oh, and please review. This is our first fanfiction to ever be posted on these boards. And now my co-author:**

** SME speaks: Greetings people of the green and blue planet.**

** PTV: (Sighs, thinking: Not this again. SME does not notice) **

** SME: I shall be joining you soon! Be prepared for what is to come...**

**P.S.: Updates will be weekly, but we may change it to every other week later on. Still, we'll try and keep them regular.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"He gave her a what?" Icy blurted once Darcy finished her account. It was extremely irritating. She happened to know exactly what she'd seen, and heard most of it too!

"He gave her a medallion that acts like a key to a place she can hide," she replied slowly, but if her sister wasn't willing to listen the first time, why should the witch repeat herself?

Stormy had a question as well. "Why would the specialist help her get away? They're usually quite unhelpful with this kind of thing."

"Maybe he's crazy, maybe he's an ally that didn't recognize her, maybe he actually believes she's innocent, maybe he would die otherwise." Darcy listed off possibilities, counting them on fingers. "Who cares? We know where the girl's headed!"

"If she chooses to do it," Icy pointed out after removing her black wig. "For all we know, she already had a better escape plan."

The Ancestral Witches, who had been silent as Darcy gave her report, finally spoke up. "Oh, she doesn't. We're sure of that. And speaking of things we're sure of, we also happen to know the village her…" they paused, searching for the right word, "… acquaintance spoke of suffered a complete wipe out almost a year ago."

This made Darcy smirk on the outside, but on the inside, in her heart of hearts, a conflict was raging. It was one thing to abduct snobby, pampered pixies who'd never know cruelty any other way, but it was quite another to ruthlessly kidnap a fellow resister unprovoked.

Could I possibly be feeling sympathy? She dismissed the idea quickly. Such a thing was no longer possible, and never would be again. Not for them.

"If I even need to say it, we have a perfect way to capture her. All we have to do is set a trap at the tunnel entrance," Icy said.

"We could be waiting forever! I think we should intercept her earlier, before guards have a chance at her."

Her sister snorted, shaking her head. "You feel the need to protect her? Besides, she'll be easier to take worn down."

"Stormy is simply pointing out that it would be slightly difficult to kidnap this Rileianna girl from a prison cell and still keep ourselves from being noticed." Darcy interjected before Icy could rant on.

The ice witch knew she'd been defeated; she wasn't a total idiot. "Why are we going through all this trouble to capture a random pixie named Rileianna? This _is _the last thing we'll ever do on your orders, so why waste it on a petty criminal wrongly accused of murder?"

The old witches made a peculiar face. "Why do you say wrongly? It wouldn't be the first time I saw a fairy kill."

Icy curled her palms into fists, but left them at her sides. Her patience was fraying. "Anyone paying attention would know it was impossible for her to be the culprit. The spike came at the prince from at least twenty-five meters in front of him. When she fell only a few seconds after, Rileianna was roughly fifteen meters _behind_ him. There's no way she could travel that fast in so little time!" She paused to glance at her sisters, and they nodded. Of course they did. In disguise, all three of them had seen the murder happen, live from the crowd. It was a clever setup, but that's all it was.

Darcy noticed something right as Icy was ready to continue. "You are avoiding the question, ancestors. What's so special about Rileianna?"

Now they looked mad. But when the spirits spoke, their tone was flat. "We have a plan to put into action. She's a loose end we need tying up. Why should we tell you?! After this, you three won't take part in our schemes anymore!" After speaking, they all faded away, leaving the Trix alone.

The witch of darkness tried to get a grasp on what they weren't saying, to no avail.

Stormy sighed. "Come on. Let's just form a plan and get out of this mess quickly."

She nodded, "Agreed."

The three of them sat down on the rocks near the lake. It didn't take long to formulate both an initial plan and a backup. While fairly simple, it could still be devastatingly effective, executed right.

When the triplets finally gazed upward, it was sundown. They would be travelling soon! This was a highly patrolled area (or soon would be), so the Trix were forced to travel by night if they had any hopes of lying low.

Why night travel bothered most people was a constant puzzle to Darcy. Why were so many cowards as soon as the lights went out?

Perhaps they weren't scared of the dark itself, but the creatures that enjoyed using it. People did generally run when she made an appearance.

The lake was crowded by thick forest on all sides. With a rocky shore covered in trash, the lake itself was modest in size and so what empty. The rippling mirror wore an image of a bright and colorful sunset. Their big star had to give off one final struggle before succumbing to the inevitable night.

"Winx, Sirenix!" Someone hissed in her ear right from behind. Darcy shot out of her seated position and leaped around to face…

…her sister Stormy, who sported a large grin and was ready to burst into laughter. "Did I seriously freak you out or was that for my benefit?"

Darcy's breath was coming in gasps. "What the heck Stormy?" She put a palm to her face; her cheeks were very hot. "Am I blushing?"

Stormy snorted, still smiling like a fool. "I could hard boil eggs on your face right now! Come on, I didn't startle you that much, did I?" She snickered, "No one sneaks up on 'Bat Ears' Darcy!"

Darcy responded with a sharp elbow. Both of her sisters could be so annoying when they were right. "I might have been a bit distracted."

If it was even possible, Stormy's grin got bigger, "A bit? Sure. Why so mopey anyway?" Her sister cocked her head to one side. "Spill."

Darcy almost told her. She almost admitted to having doubts. But how could they get what they wanted if she confessed to being soft? She'd done worse deeds for less, Darcy could add one more if it meant they were free from the Witchs' service.

So no, she wouldn't be the one who would mess it all up, not the one time it actually mattered. Darcy shook her head, "It's nothing."

"Oh?" Stormy raised an eyebrow. Not quite accusing, but very close.

Darcy nodded. For a little while, all was silent.

Sober, she gazed upward, toward the new night sky. The moon was a thick silver crescent among the few tiny stars that weren't blocked by long, wispy clouds. The darkness made the boundless sky unspeakably beautiful.

A faint rustling sound echoed across from the far side of the lake. Darcy glanced down just in time to see Icy emerging from the maze of plants. Though she hadn't seen her other sister leave, Darcy assumed she must have been scouting for their unsuspecting target.

When the witch of ice was close enough, Stormy strode over to her and asked, "So, I'm guessing our mark is in the hills? She wouldn't head for the capital again, would she?"

Icy shook her head, hair shimmering as it swayed from side to side. The witch of darkness noted how her sister's eyes were glowing from mischievousness; a sure sign of success. "She left for the northwest about two hours ago. When I saw who I think is her leave the forest, I tried to find you two, eventually succeeding."

Darcy raised an eyebrow quizzically, "What do you mean think? Describe her to me." Icy had better not be wrong about this. She'd been wrong about enough.

Darcy's sister seemed peeved, but complied. Icy took one loud breath and began her description. "She mostly had her back to me, but I did see her face for a bit. The girl I saw was a lot shorter than us, fairly pale, and had these light eyes that remind me of hot metal. Her hair's long and a loud platinum shade. Also, the pixie I followed wore soiled white sleeves, an ugly brown cloak, and a rope with large metal spikes and a dagger tied on top." She looked over at Darcy. "Well? Is that our fairy or not?"

That was Rileianna all right. Darcy quickly nodded.

All Stormy was waiting for was that information. "Alright then! Let's nab this runaway pixie!"

The Trix agreed. Darcy took the lead, Icy pointed the way, and Stormy kept an eye out for potential party crashers.

Suddenly, Darcy halted without warning. They were standing before a sheltered clearing. Thick trees and shrubs blocked the way, but there were just enough gaps for all three of them to get a decent view. "I thought you said Rileianna left this place a while ago," she whispered tensely.

"That's because she did!" Icy snapped in reply, keeping her voice low.

Darcy whipped her head around, golden eyes wide. She pointed to where she'd just been spying from. "Okay then, who's that?"

** A/N: PTV speaks (very briefly): Our second chapter, and my first real one for this story! I want to say a special thanks to everyone who reviewed: Achieving Elysium and KyleeNovaStar. Thank you for your help and support!**

**Mini Poll: This is more a request than anything else, but can someone put all the fanfic terms and definitions in a review for me? I know the obvious ones (Ex: OC, R&R), but on some, I have no idea.**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**A/N: We know, Friday isn't our usual updating day. But it's the end of the school semester (and exams), so we decide to celebrate by publishing this chapter just a little earlier than usual. Consider it an early Christmas present from SME (the one who wrote this chapter).**

** Also to note: we are still doing weekly updates. Chapter Four will be published next Friday, the 27th of December. Until further notice, every chapter will be posted on Friday from now on.**

**Enough boring you about updates. Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to tell us what you thought!**

Xander had faced some tough situations before, but this one was proving to be a challenge. He continued to pace about his room, thinking over what happened just hours before…

…

After the young Shadow Dragon had gone on her way, Xander trudged back to the capital. He thought about the accused girl while doing so.

She really was quite cute, but also a lethal attacker and an extremely clever thief. No wonder the people in all Borreania fear her. If the guard captain or Headmaster Saladin ever heard about Xander letting her go, they would think the sixteen year old was crazy, which he assumed was possible. But Xander couldn't hurt her! He understood why she was doing these kinds of deeds, even if that didn't make them right. She was only trying to get by! Just like him when he was younger. Plus his instincts told him she didn't make Prince Kazen kick the bucket, and after all these years, Xander had learned how to listen to them.

So here he was, dragging himself back into the castle close, while a dangerous criminal (whom Xander had aided in escaping) is on the loose. Strangely enough, today was one of his good days.

"Rexim!" Someone came barreling toward him. Xander recognized them as one of the guards, Fedac Kilm. When Kilm came close enough, he managed to huff out, "King Shoannem wants to see you in his throne room. It's urgent."

Hmm, what kind of things would his Majesty need him for?

Xander slowly nodded. "Alright, I'm coming."

"You'd best be hurrying along now. The king is not a patient man today." Kilm said as Xander quickened his pace toward the great fortress of a palace.

Once the teenager was inside, his breath was taken away immediately. Even though the young specialist had seen it before, the sight of the castle's inside could never fail to amaze him.

If you open the doors to the Borreania Royal Castle, you would be first greeted by the start of a white tiled path. On both sides of this room, a grand staircase spirals up to the ceiling, which is actually a second floor. Continue down towards the end of the hallway, and you'll be met by tall wooden doors that swing open. Along the way, you might find yourself admiring vividly colored tapestries under huge sunlit glass windows. The works of woven art reached down until the tips touched the ground. They usually depicted images of Borreanian folklore or historical moments. The pictures looked so real that it seemed like the artist had simply just captured them with one of those Earth inventions. What are they called again? Commas? Camels? No wait, cameras!

Until some time before, Xander used to think it was quite amazing that the inhabitants of planet Earth could be oblivious to magic even though it had been a part of their life a long time ago. Then, the young specialist heard the news that Earth so fruitless of it after all. Now the adolescent wondered how Earthlings are going to get used to enchantment once again.

But it was no time for Xander to let his mind dilly-dally, and the unusual chaos in the castle certainly proved it. Dozens of guards were bustling about, following the orders of the barking second in command, Hemo Rotisiv. A great number of powerful nobles and ladies were crammed in the hallways, complaining loudly about how much of an outrage the situation was.

It took the young specialist quite some time to get to the end of the hall, while earning some disapproving looks from the grouchy royals he bumped into. This happened quite a lot.

He pushed open the double-set doors. They swung outward and he quietly stepped in. There were only three people in the throne room, but they seemed too busy arguing among each another to give much notice. Xander, trying to be polite, shut the doors and waited patiently until he was needed.

A red carpet path upon the white marble floor led from the entrance to the chair in the middle of the very spacious area, raised from the rest of the floor, which no longer housed chairs. Behind the piece of furniture was an altar holding the royal jewels protected by a case of clarinvin, a rare material that's similar to glass, but virtually unbreakable. To get the precious stones out of its secure location, one must unlock it with a worn at all times by the king. The altar was a few meters in front of a wall where two large stained glass windows stood, depicting how the many planets came to be side by side. Now the one on the right was only colored, jagged shards as a result of the Shadow Dragon jumping out of it earlier.

Another sign of the thief's arrival was a broken piece of wood lying on the ground from one of the rafters supporting the ceiling above, which had yet to be cleaned up. Xander still couldn't figure out how she got up there without being noticed. Especially since there was a whole section of glass a few meters above the doors. This allowed anyone on the second floor to peer upon the room of the kings.

The adolescent finally looked over to recognize all the personas in the disagreement:

First off, there was a muscular man that you could easily tell held a great amount of military authority. He was General Zenin Sarez, a respected leader with some temper.

Next was Ulro Astan, the royal advisor who was always so cautious. He always twirled the ends of his slick black mustache when he's nervous about something. Which it appears is just about everything.

Finally, there was the ruler of Borreania himself, King Shoannem. With eyes the color of rain clouds and graying blonde hair, Xander heard that he was usually a friendly guy. But right now, the specialist only felt anger in the monarch's direction.

"Your Majesty," Astan twirled his mustache even faster than usual. "It would simply be better if you went into hiding temporarily."

"No," the king said firmly.

"But sire, this villain may think that it's the perfect time to take over the throne. You only have to do this until the whole thing blows over," Sarez pointed out.

"I said no and that's final!" the Borreanian leader responded loudly. "To go into hiding just like that? That's something I cannot do. We need to act strong for the sake of the kingdom, and hiding is not a method of showing strength!"

"But-" the royal advisor and the general both started together

"Don't," the aging ruler stopped them. "You have my word and I will keep it. I shall be staying inside this castle." At last, King Shoannem noticed Xander's presence inside the room. "You're Xander Rexim, yes?" His demeanor changed from impatience to politeness.

"I am, sir," the young specialist confirmed the question.

"Thank you for coming," the Borreanian King then turned toward his subjects. "Ulro and Zenin, you may leave now."

They started to protest, but stopped when they saw the look on the king's face that said it wasn't an option, even though he'd used the word may.

Xander stepped out of the twosome's way as they moved out, slamming the doors behind them.

"You may come closer," the ruler announced. The specialist promptly did so.

"What do you need me for, sir?" the teen asked.

"I want you to tell me what happened during that chase you had today," the elderly man settled himself in the throne.

"Alright," Xander cleared his throat. "Well sir, I, as well as the guards, was chasing the assassin into the forest. But we soon lost the murderer in the woods, so the whole party was ordered back. Then, General Sarez had this idea and told me to climb in the trees until I saw the culprit again. He said to follow them without being noticed and report back to the castle. He also mentioned that it'll just be me doing the stakeout because there'll be less of a chance to alarm him or her, assuming it's a person." It was the truth, so far.

King Shoannem nodded as he listened to Xander's story. "Hmm, continue," he gestured, "I've already heard this part from the general."

"Okay," Xander gulped. He had already planned on what to say next, but that was originally for his report to Sarez. This was King Shoannem, once a noble warrior, now ruler over all of Borreania. What would he do if the mighty leader chooses not to believe him?

"I did what I was told," the adolescent started, "but when I managed to catch up to the culprit, I accidentally broke a twig off the tree I was in. This must've alarmed the killer and he or she attacked me. I tried my best to defend myself, but the convict fought unlike anything else. It felt like sparring with a dragon."

"A dragon, you say?" the monarch raised an eyebrow quizzically.

Cripes, Xander mentally slapped himself for his word choice. But he kept a straight face and said quickly, "Yes, it was like a dragon." He went on, "I was sent flying into a tree when the malefactor kicked me in the chest. I must've blacked out; when I sat back up, they were gone."

"Gone?" King Shoannem asked. "Just like that?"

"Yeah, it was like they disappeared or something."

The sovereign was silent. It was only for a few moments, but it seemed like hours, until he muttered, "So, the Shadow Dragon it is."

Cripes. Cripes! CRIPES! Xander cursed himself silently. He had made it obvious enough for the king to put it together. He was so stupid! He should have said that he lost her when he had tried to follow her. Now what was he going to do? Stop it, his conscience commanded. Panicking will get you nowhere. He stopped. The teen realized that the voice in his head was right. It would do him no good if he reacted to the situation like this. He needed to make the best out of it.

"Excuse me, sir?" the young specialist tried to sound confused enough so the monarch wouldn't suspect that Xander knew of this from the moment he saw how the thief fought the guards. So powerful…

"The Shadow Dragon," the ruler stood from his chair. "That is who we're dealing with, from what I can glean out of your story. Tell me," he stared down the adolescent in front of him, "did that hood the assassin was wearing fall down far enough for you to see this person's face? Ever?"

"No sir," Xander shook his head. But in truth, the teen had watched the upper part of the cloak bounce off the running girl's head while he followed her silently.

"Hmm, that would have helped, but at least we know who we are up against," the king stated. "Just the more reason for you to join the mission."

Mission? "What mission, sir?" This time, the young specialist asked in actual curiosity and confusion.

"It has been said that you've traveled with the peddler Nuebon all over this planet enough times to know it very well. Is this true?"

"Yes," Xander nodded in confirmation. "I know the kingdom like the back of my hand." And so much more than you think. He shuddered.

"Good," the king responded, "because I need you to be a guide on an assignment to find the convict, whom we now know as the Shadow Dragon."

Oh no. "But why me, sir?" Xander asked with his street face back on.

"You, Xander Rexim, are something different than any other soldier I have here."

Is that a compliment or an insult? The teen thought to himself.

"You personally know how to deal with tough situations. You follow your instincts, not a rulebook. But best of all, you possess a good heart. I like that in a person. Which is why I want you to show the way for some high elite Red Fountain specialists and the Winx Club. I tru-"

"Wait sir, I'm going to guide who now?" the poor boy was desperately hoping he heard wrong.

"Don't you listen to me, boy? You are going to guide high elite Red Fountain specialists and the Winx Club that I contacted before you came here. Anyway, I trust the group of you to complete…" while King Shoannem went on with his speech, Xander, who was a student of Red Fountain himself, currently panicked on the inside even though his mind had already told him not to.

Now how's he going to get out of this? The planet's sovereign just assigned him to lead a mission to capture the accused girl when he knew she was innocent (of murder, anyway) with the help of experienced specialists and the renowned group of butt kicking fairies! Maybe when they searched for long enough, Xander could tell his king that the pretty girl was dead. Sure he had to keep his fingers crossed, hoping the convict actually followed his instructions, but it was an okay plan, nonetheless.

Unfortunately, the sixteen year old just had to find out his scheme was totally out of the question.

"Oh, and Xander," the monarch snapped him out of his plotting state.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do not stop searching until you find the body, whether it's still breathing or not. Bring it to me. Let me see it with my own eyes." His grey eyes were sparking a thunderstorm, signaling the Borreanian leader expected his orders to be obeyed.

…

Xander knew that he had to come up with a great plan soon, or else more than one innocent life would be wrongly taken. But still, who _really_ took the first one

**A/N (from both of us, typed by PTV): For this chapter, we decided to expand a little on the mysterious specialist, and give him a name. What do you all think?**

** So now the Winx are getting in on the action. We tagged them, did we not? Anyway, prepare yourselves! We hope our wonderful reviewers (To die upon a kiss, KyleeNovaStar, and Achieving Elysium) will tell us how we're doing in the near future. Enjoy, and if not, tell us why so we can be better!**

**Also, we'd like to say how ****_amazed_**** we are at all the attention this story has gotten. First one ever, and over 150 viewers from all around the world! Thank you so much!**

**Mini Poll: What is one thing you want to fix on these boards? We read fanfic here (have for a while now), and these are our answers:**

**PTV: Proper grammar! I am a self-professed Grammar Nazi (except for a writing effect or how a character talks, that actually benefits a story), and hate seeing a good (or possibly good) story ruined because no one can read it. Also, I believe improper grammar practically says the author doesn't care, and that's just sad…**

**SME: More creativity! Too much of one idea (or an uncreative plot in general) kills just about any story and this happens on the Winx (and many other) archives far too often!**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Stormy was happy they were finally out of that forest. The trapped space, the constant noise, all the underbrush. It was unbearable!

This Rileianna might be a pixie, but she was clever. She'd placed a decoy in the forest before she left to circle around into the direction pointed out by the specialist she almost killed. It's exactly what they would've done.

Now she and her sisters were almost a day into their pursuit with only one fleeting glimpse of their target. They knew they were headed the right way, but that's about it.

"Does anyone else think the Winx are likely falling all over this?" Stormy asked. "They've been obsessed with any major crime since we went on the run. There's no way they would ignore an assassination."

"It's likely. We should be more cautious," Darcy answered.

"I don't know. Can you seriously picture six stuck up pixies like them out in barren hills like this?" Icy pointed out.

She was right about the 'barren hills' bit. Aside from the dead grass and occasional bush, the place was empty as their hearts. And because it was early fall, the weather was always cloudy with a biting north wind.

But at least they could travel by day now. That first night, they'd had to get out of that huge, claustrophobic forest in nearly complete darkness! This might not've been a problem for Darcy, but for pretty much everyone else, getting through a maze with so much undergrowth and no sight whatsoever is fairly difficult.

Stormy really should know better than to lose herself in thought like this. Sure enough, the witch's foot caught on something dense, and she took a fancy tumble down one of the infinite hills in the area.

_At least I was mostly to the bottom_, she thought.

Behind her, laughing filled the crisp air. Stormy liked to believe it was more of releasing tension than something actually amusing.

"I know it's sad, but that has to be the most hilarious thing I've seen in weeks!" Icy sniggered.

"There's no argument there," Darcy agreed, grinning.

"Oh, I don't know. Sneaking up on you was fun," Stormy retorted without thinking. At first she wondered if her sister was offended, but it only made them laugh more.

She joined in for a second. Not because anything was funny, but because it felt good. Then she remembered, "Hey, what did I trip over?"

"Good point," Icy climbed back up the hill with ease. From where Stormy stood, the thing appeared to be metal. Her sister picked it up and examined it briefly. Then she climbed back down with the object in her hand.

"What is it?" Stormy asked.

Icy pressed a button on the device. Iridescent green shot out in the form of a blade. "It's a specialist's sword. Does it look like something else to you?" Stormy took a second look: it was a weapon all of them knew!

"Hmm, these are given to specialists when they enter Red Fountain." Darcy said. She took the object from Icy and waved it around dramatically. "Doesn't this remind you of somebody?"

She knew her theory was correct before; now she had proof. "They couldn't have passed by more than an hour ago, or else this wind would've layered it with dirt already."

The ice witch considered the updated information for a moment. "Looks like competition to me, a competition we need to handle carefully. Assuming we haven't unknowingly slipped up, they're here for almost the same reasons we are. We'll have to be stealthy, and we must hurry up. Too much time got wasted in the woods."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Darcy interrupted. She seemed slightly alarmed, with her jaw clenched tight and catlike eyes wide. The howling breeze stopped throwing dirt at them for a few minutes.

"What for?"

"It's really unlikely they're heading in the correct direction on coincidence. How do they know which way Rileianna went?"

"Maybe they got that oddball specialist to spill some beans." Icy guessed.

Stormy snorted. "I wish I could have overheard that going on. It must have been heard a kilometer away!"

"Be careful what you wish for, sister," Darcy warned. "We could be plenty close for that soon enough."

"Good, then we can return this thing," Icy flipped the sheathed sword in midair, oblivious to her sisters' shocked expressions.

"Why?!"

"I'm not chancing them building these things with trackers. If we'd have left it back there, it would appear odd to whoever sees. This way, they would think Brandon, the idiot owner, came back for it. Look, if we are somehow unable to fulfill that in a day, I'll abandon it."

Darcy sighed, "I wish you would abandon it now. Sadly, the damage is done."

Stormy was slightly less relenting, "That was stupid of you. What if it has a camera too? Since we're going by that logic-"

"Doubt it," Icy interrupted. "Someone would've come after us by now, being universal criminals and all that." She jabbed her with the butt of the handle. "Watch who you call stupid."

…

The afternoon melted into evening as the three trekked on. The terrain didn't change much: only became more difficult. All of the hills were getting steeper, and caves started appearing in the least anticipated places.

The Trix meant to make an early start tomorrow, so they had to find a resting spot soon. Most of the caves were too cramped or too deep down to work. Also, the caves' mouths couldn't be too big or too small for either discretion or a way in. Despite the billion caves, there was difficulty in finding a decent one.

It was nearly nightfall, and their options were running thin. _This is getting annoying_, Stormy thought crossly. _All of them look the exact same_! Wait, what is that? She paused.

"Is that smoke over there?" Stormy asked aloud.

All three of them moved a little closer to examine the oddity. Sure enough, long, thin wisps of grey smoke were getting blown away from the valley of their origin. It was coming off a large campfire, just to add to these people's idiocy.

"Now that deserves to be called stupid," Icy commented from beside her. "Take notes," she added with a glance towards Stormy, who shrugged it off.

"Quit it, you two!" Darcy broke in from the witch's other side. She snatched the burden sword from Icy and handed it to her other sister. "If it is who we suspect it is, just leave it on the outskirts of their camp, circle around them, and meet us in the fifth valley south of the place."

Stormy nodded once and began her indirect descent. She obviously shouldn't walk right down there and confront them. Though tempting, it would cause more trouble than what was worth it. Instead, she took a rather twisted route around the dip to its natural entrance.

Twelve people were gathered there. Right away, she could see the eleven her sisters had anticipated. Every member of the airheaded Winx pixies was present with five puppy dog boyfriends. Her surprise was the add-on. He was short, pale, and barely concealing extreme nervousness. Though he was noticeably younger than the other males, the boy also wore a specialist suit.

Just as the storm witch was about to set the thing down and leave, she caught a bit of the extra's words.

"… possible at most. Meanwhile, the public portal's security is lax at best. After pulling a trick like that, the Shadow Dragon, whoever he or she is, would probably want to get as far from the crime scene as possible, right?" It was a fair argument. Stormy didn't dare hope they'd listen, though. The Winx never listen to sensible words, true or otherwise.

"Xander, you're just a guide. All you have to do is navigate Borreania for us," Sky snapped at the boy.

"Calm down Sky! Xander's only trying to help us," Bloom scolded him like she was his mother. Turning to Xander, the pixie smiled with the sincerity a toddler could've seen through. "Look, I know you feel involved in this because of your chance meeting with the culprit, but that isn't why you're here. The king of this planet just wanted you to tour guide us on our search of Borreania. All you do is show us the sights, while the others and I catch the murdering Shadow Dragon." Had Stormy imagined it, or did the young one really flinch on that last section?

"Okay, Xander?" Bloom finished after a few things the witch hadn't caught.

"Yes, ma'am," Xander's tone was glum mixed with something else. Could it possibly be a trace of worry? What would that guy be worried about? Then Stormy put the pieces together.

_It's discovery_, she realized. Xander must be that strange specialist that helped Rileianna! Stormy doubted he'd informed present company of the whole story, or this Xander would've already been charged. The idea of a traitor in the Winx's camp brought her immense satisfaction.

She looked back upward to see Stella, the biggest brat out of all Solaria, speaking to their mutinous guide. "If the mountains are visited in the summer, shouldn't there be a nice road?"

"There is a road, ma'am, but it would take us over a week to get to our fist destination if we traveled on it. My brother specialists over there," the young one managed to say that whole thing without a hint of sarcasm, something Stormy knew she couldn't do, "decreed we should take the fastest route, which would be this one."

"All this hill climbing makes my skin bruised, and I'm sore all over!" The blonde pixie whined while lying down on the relatively smooth ground.

"I would normally apologize for your discomfort, ma'am, but I'm afraid my jurisdiction doesn't stretch to such expanses. After all, I'm only the-"

Brandon, Stella's imbecile lover, cut Xander's response off with a threatening, "Are you mocking her?"

To his credit, Xander stood his ground fairly well. "Absolutely not, sir. I was simply acknowledging my position within the operation, sir." The younger kid's voce had only slightly quavered when he spoke.

Tecna managed to gaze away from her precious gadgets for a spit second. "It wasn't an insult to Stella."

The specialist glanced over at her, then back to Xander, "I don't trust him," he whispered to no one in particular as he stalked away.

_You should be nice to your navigator_, Stormy thought to herself. _If I were hime, I would've led you off a cliff already. Or maybe down one of those caves..._

Flora entered the conversation briefly. "I'm sorry, Xander. He isn't usually like that. I think we're all just a bit ruffled up after losing Kazen."

"Hey, how much longer until we reach those mountains? I'm tired of all this bickering," Riven cut in. Xander opened his mouth to answer the question, but closed it when he saw everyone staring at Timmy.

Honestly, if that Xander guy hadn't already thrown in with her enemies, Stormy might've liked him.

The witch had been there too long, so Stormy quietly set down Brandon's sword, thought a few sympathies to the small one of the group, then took off into the twilight.

When she returned to the overly preferable company of the Trix, Stormy bulled right over whatever Icy was saying and ran over to Darcy. "The boy who sent our mark this way, what did he look like?"

"Is it relevant?"

"I think so."

Darcy sighed. "Fine. The guy was short and skinny with brown hair, sharp green eyes, and a pointy face. Why?"

"Guess what? He was with the Winx and their regular company. Xander's his name, and he has one weird game going."

"So you stayed behind to eavesdrop. It does not take that long to deliver a sword, Stormy! You should've just come back right away," Icy reprimanded. _Like she has a right..._

"It doesn't appear you learned anything useful," Darcy agreed, though not as harsh.

"But I did discover something worth our time!" Stormy argued. "Their group of twelve is heading toward the mountains too! They want to climb all three of them! Xander, for good reason, tried to talk them out of it, but those idiots wouldn't hear the guy out." she paused for effect. "He knows enough for them to steal our only shot at freedom!"

Both of her sisters were quiet for a moment until Icy spoke up. "Oh. That could complicate things. And where there's potential for anything in the Winx's favor…" she didn't finish.

"Yes, yes it does. I've already thought up some changes. For example," she pointed to Darcy. "You're the only one walking to the mountains. Icy and I shall be taking a slight detour. Whether I'm right or wrong, just magically transport you and the target to us. Either way, you need to get in there before the other group can. Now, if my suspicions are correct, this is going to be our situation…"

**A/N: PTV speaks (or more appropriately, types, but speaks sounds better): Well there you are. No, we're not actively trying to bash the Winx in this story. (Yes, they get insulted here, but keep the POV in mind. Stormy (a Trix) already has an opinion on the matter, and it wouldn't make sense if she didn't show it.) That said, I still think many of the Winx and their boyfriends are far too 'white', 'Mary-Sue/Gary Stu', 'all-good', however you want to put it. We plan on some serious character development, to say the least.**

**No Mini polls. I'd like them more if people responded. Maybe I'll bring them back from time to time for a little creative direction, if it pleases the court. And while I say this every time, thank you to everyone who's reviewed (Achieving Elysium, KyleeNovaStar, To die upon a kiss, Guest (sorry I can't reply to you, so I'll just say thanks here), and koryandrs). It means so much, please continue the support!**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Rilei hated being short. Call her little or small or any other word to describe he insignificance in height, then you're in for a whole universe of torture. But when there comes a time to walk the underground trails (such as this one) it puts you in a spot of advantage when you aren't exactly what people would call tall.

She held up a lit torch as Rilei continued down the single path while it twisted and turned. Rilei was glad to have created a make shift source of light with the supplies a meter or two from the entrance.

The quarter moon's light had allowed her to see clearly as she tapped twelve times on the red swirl on the mountaintop, just like that annoying specialist told her to. When she did, a part of the eroded dirt became transparent and kept on fading away until there was nothing left. She peered into the newly discovered cave in order to see what caused it. Sure enough, bathed in moonlight, along with torch implements, was a Substance Projector, planted on the roof of the tunnel.

Rilei cracked a sly smile, "Clever." The thief recognized the model because she'd once stolen one for a client.

Substance Projectors were built to create a projection of a substance. (Go figure.) To do so, the projection would harden and act like the real thing on a designated area until you touched a certain spot in the pattern with the programmed material that it's supposed to recognize. Then the machine would put off the substantial projection and send out invisible tiny sensors over where the hologram was. Those would send out a signal if the opposing material passes through and then the first image would be on again

The accused then carefully created her torch, trying not to trigger the projector. When she was done, she headed inside and the machine did its job. There was once again soil that filled the mountain's hole.

Now that Rilei thought about it, how did something that technologically advanced make it there in the first place? Borreania wasn't industrially developed, due to being targeted for conquering by bigger planets in the past. Because of this, the world's economy depended on agriculture and trade. To get something like a Substance Projector, you would have to pay high prices in an order to planet Zenith itself.

These inhabitants of this secret village, assuming that actually is what Rilei is walking toward, are either filthy rich or know the right kind of people.

_Or it could be a trap_, the fugitive thought. _If it is, I'm headed toward the opened arms of royal guards, who probably wouldn't hesitate to throw me off the nearest cliff._

Honestly, if she had more options, she would choose any of them excluding this one. To just follow what that guy from two days ago said seemed too risky, too suspicious. In fact, she could just imagine a whole squadron of guards waiting for her with that guy saying something like, Told you she would come, can I have my promotion now? But with a giant bounty likely above her head, the girl didn't have many options. Out of all the limited others, what she was doing right now seemed like her best bet. Didn't make it a good one, though.

That specialist, what the heck was he trying to attempt? He hardly knew Rilei, and had orders to capture her. But for some reason, he had let her go, promising he wouldn't tell a soul. Not that Rilei actually trusted his word on that. She couldn't trust anyone. Not since… Aston.

She shook her head. No, she shouldn't think about the past right now. It would do no good in her current situation.

Speaking of which, how long had she been walking now? Twenty minutes? Thirty? An hour? Funny, she should have reached something by now. All of these twists and turns, thinking about them gave Rilei a headache. She looked around. The whole trail seems to have been made by hand, not by nature. To dig out this whole path, the thief imagined it would take quite the amount of time and quite the amount of patience, too. She wondered what purpose this kind of way would serve. Maybe to slow down an attacking enemy? Whatever it might be, Rilei just wished she would come across something soon.

Unfortunately, if Rilei had paid better attention to what stood in her path, she would have avoided being tripped over by a little rock and dropping her torch. After the accused returned to her feet, she found herself in complete darkness. She took a look around and from what her eyes could make out in the crushing blackness; there were the remains of her burned out torch.

Great! Just great! It's just what Rilei needed. She cursed herself for not paying better attention. What was she going to do? Now it will take her two times longer than at the rate she was going before. The idea of stumbling around in the darkness didn't appeal to Rilei at all.

_Well suck it up cupcake_, the steel core inside her spoke up. _You've been through worse. Don't go acting like one of those rich brats all of the sudden._

As annoying as it could be, it was still right. Giving out one agitated huff, Rilei trudged on with a hand to the wall.

What seemed like a full hour later, the fugitive finally made it out of the compressed tunnel. When she did, the sight waiting surprised the girl. Some meters in front of her was a moat surrounding tall walls made from the mountain itself. On top of them was a walkway outlined by battlements that allowed occupants to defend as well as attack a hostile threat. Currently, only one person was attending upon it. But that wasn't what surprised Rilei. It was the fact that the whole scene was illuminated by a huge half-moon, which was supposed to be impossible since they were inside a giant landform.

The teen girl looked up to make sure the statement was true. But yet there was a whole chunk off the top that allowed the lunar rock to shine down upon the setting from all angles.

But how? Rilei wondered. It couldn't have eroded away that quickly! Besides, it didn't look natural. It was more as if a giant took a knife and cut a part of the high hill clean off. But Rilei rejected the idea.

_You could find out more later_, she told herself. Right now, there were more pressing matters to deal with.

Rilei walked until she was at the edge of the moat. She cleared her throat in order to gain the attention of the man standing on the walkway, which she assumed was the guard. No reaction.

"Um, hello?" she spoke. Still no reaction. Hmm, maybe she should be a bit louder.

"Oy buster! What are you doing up there? Sleeping?!" Apparently, he had been.

His head shot up. "Huh? What? I was awake!"

_Is this some kind of joke_? "I'm going to take a guess and say you weren't supposed to be sleeping on the job." Rilei said.

When the young man heard her voice, he scanned the area until his eyes rested on her. "An intruder?" he gasped. "How did you get in?"

She held up the gold medallion for him to see, "With this."

He gasped even louder, "Where did you get that?"

"From…" Rilei paused, debating over the best word choice before settling on, "someone."

"Who?" he asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"From, well," now that she thought about it, the specialist hadn't exactly given her his name. "A guy."

"A guy?"

"Yeah, a guy," Rilei raised her hand to a height about five centimeters past her own length. "Around this tall, shaggy hair, green eyes, wiry build. Doesn't that ring a bell?" It had to; he'd said he'd been to this village himself.

The guard looked at her with no signs of recognition on his face, "You're lying."

"What?! Surely you've seen someone like that around here!" Rilei cried out.

"Your lies describe no one."

"But the guy said the guard at the moat was supposed to let me in if I show them this," Rilei held up the piece of metal for emphasis. "You're the guard. Here's the moat. I have it. Now let me in!"

"Whatever that 'guy' said, this guy," he pointed at himself, "says leave now and forget about this place. Do not tell anyone about it."

"But-" Rilei started but the watchman cut her off.

"No buts. Now leave or else I'll-"

"Let her in," a new voice interrupted. It seemed to come from the other side of the wall.

The sentry seemed surprised to hear the sound. He turned around, "Nuebon? What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity of a walk on a beautiful night like this. I overheard a few things from your discussion with the girl outside while I was enjoying the moon's beauty." the voice answered.

"Well you don't have to worry about her," the watch chuckled nervously. "I was just about to send her out on her way."

"Instead of out, what about in?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Just bring down the drawbridge and let her inside instead. She must be tired at this time of night."

"Are you sure this is a good idea sir?" Rilei could hear the shock in the sentinel's voice. "I don't trust-"

"Yes, I'm sure," the man on the other side calmly stated. "Now pull down the lever if you will."

There was a moment of silent hesitation before the watch replied, "Al-alright," and switched the lever down.

The large wooden drawbridge moved toward the earth, chains creaking as Rilei moved out of its way. When it was in the suitable position to act like a bridge, it allowed her a view of an aging man with graying brown hair and twinkling silver eyes.

"Come," he beckoned her. "We have things to talk about."

…

"I apologize for the way Intwil acted," Nuebon said as he dropped a handful of leaves into a kettle.

"Who?" Rilei asked, seated in a chair.

"The sentinel. He does his job quite well actually. If only he does it without sleeping," the older man answered as he poured water into the kitchen piece.

"Oh," Rilei replied. "You don't have to be sorry, sir. I'm pretty sure you all have your reasons."

"Thank you for understanding," he took out a large cake from a picnic basket. "It's just that we don't want the royal family to catch any information on us."

"Why?"

"You see, this whole village is a sanctuary. A refuge. We rescue and take in those in need when no one else could. We called it here: Secernasaf. You know the Miftuno destruction almost a year ago?"

Rilei nodded. Everybody on the planet knew. On a particular day, the merchant trading village Miftuno was attacked by something. Something. That was all that was official on the subject. Something.

Some say it was a curse. Others say it was a monster, like the one attacking more known planets at the time. Different rumors were thrown around in conversation. But one thing was certain: Whoever, or more appropriately, whatever assaulted Miftuno left behind total destruction. By the time authorities arrived on the scene, the town was in complete shambles. Dying fire was burning away wooden remnants. No survivors were found. At least, from what Rilei heard.

She wondered what point Nuebon was trying to make, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Several of our Miftuno insights living there were able to escort the remaining villagers over to here."

Rilei's eyes went wide, "But-but the authorities-"

"-made it onto the scene a while later," he corrected her. "We let them live here until they were ready to head out into the world again as long as they promise not to tell anyone about things here. Though some volunteered to help for future refugees. You could stay here and helped manage things here, like Intwil for example. Or you could become an insight and help the needy find their way here, just like Xander. He's the one who helped you get here, as far as I can tell from that description you gave."

So that's his name, Rilei thought. "So is he a survivor of the Miftuno destruction?"

Nuebon went silent for several moments before he replied, "Not exactly."

Rilei wanted to know more, but she could tell from the older man's tone she should ask a different question now. "So… why is he in the royal guard? Does he get to more refugees that way?"

"Partly because of that. Plus he needed school credit for Red Fountain," he explained and then muttered. "Though I don't see why he can't do another project that doesn't involve working with them."

"You don't sound like you like the royal guards."

"Generally, I don't like anything to do with the royal family. Besides, they won't appreciate the idea of the village here."

"But why? You're helping so many people."

"The king won't…" Nuebon searched for the right words, "exactly agree on how we work things. We're not _against _the sovereign rule, but we aren't _with _it either. Though never mind that. Tell me: Exactly why are you here?"

Rilei kept a stoic face, but she was mentally face palming herself. Why didn't she think of this? Of course they would wonder how she found out about here in the first place! She couldn't say a part of the truth without explaining it with the whole truth. Also, saying it was all because of a dream probably wouldn't work. She was… going to have to make do with what she had.

"Well, you see sir," she started hesitantly, "Let me explain."

"Wait, before you do," he faced her, holding up a piece of cake and a cup full of tea. "Care for some cake and- oh goodness!"

He'd been walking toward her, but suddenly tripped over his own feet, sending the items flying through the air. Rilei reacted quickly, jumping out of her chair and onto the table. She snatched the plate and caught the cake with it in perfect position while she grabbed the teacup and seized the falling drink, spill free. It all happened on a moment's notice.

The entire kitchen was quiet while Rilei was begging, Please think I'm an acrobat. Please think I'm an acrobat, before she silently scolded herself for acting on an impulse.

"Well," the elder got up and brushed himself off, "I swear you young people are getting quicker by the minute."

"Yeah," Rilei tried to sound as if nothing's wrong, but was hard with the immensely awkward atmosphere. "You know, I'm not actually hungry. Just tired, you know."

"Oh," Nuebon said as he took the things she held out to him. "Well, there's a spare bedroom upstairs you could sleep in. As you get on the second floor, it should be two doors down from your right."

"Thank you, sir," the teen shifted uncomfortably before adding. "Good night, and thank you for letting me in."

"Yes," he said as the girl paced out of the room. "Good night."

…

"Yes," Nuebon muttered quietly as the girl moved steadily away from the kitchen. "Good night." Shadow Dragon.

He heard from a source that the Shadow Dragon, accused of the murder of Prince Kazen, escaped from the castle two days ago. This couldn't have been a coincidence and he was proven it wasn't. From that moment of hesitation to answering his question to the reaction he received as the items came toward her, she unintentionally revealed herself as the notorious thief.

But at least for now, he'll keep quiet and just see what would happen. Nuebon just hoped no trouble will come from his decision…

**A/N: PTV speaks: Every five chapters, my partner and I have agreed to answer ONE question a reviewer may have had about any chapter. (The prologue isn't a chapter, by the way.) We go through the reviews, and look for a question about one of our chapters (two and four for me, one, three, and five for SME) then answer the ones we chose in the Author's Note (A/N) of our next installment. Anything you want to say, SME?**

**SME: Nah.**

**PTV: Well okay then! Post your questions, please!**

** PLEASE NOTE: We will not answer any questions about a future event in our fanfiction. Why in Shadowhaunt would we spoil our own story? If you have one, just wait and see. If you have a theory, we aren't going to confirm or deny it, but we may give a shout out to one with good reasoning. We love reading what people think will happen- while the basic plot has been mapped out, few aspects are solid, and we love to surprise our readers! (Or I'm guessing we do, hasn't actually happened yet.)**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

**A/N: Yes, yes, we know it's Thursday. Still want to update on Friday, but PTV (the one uploading this chapter) is having major computer issues, and would like to make sure this goes up before they get much worse. Hopefully, it'll let her post...**

**...**

Stella was not built for crossing the countryside. She was a princess, for dragon's sake. It was not part of a princess's job to walk for days in rough terrain! "I was so not meant for wilderness!" she burst out without intending to.

"Chill out, Stel," Musa said through clenched teeth. "I'm pretty sure we're almost to the top."

"Is this seriously what you call a short mountain?" she whined.

"It's the shortest of the three h-here, ma'am." Xander quavered. He'd long since given up hiding his nerves. Stella couldn't see what he was worried about, though. Okay, so Brandon and Sky had been assistant teachers in one of his classes last year and thought he was a useless burden. He needed to stop proving them right or their 'navigator' might accidentally lead them off a cliff or something!

"Hold out, Stella," Brandon hung back on the steep path so he could walk beside her. "It isn't much further."

Within minutes, the entire group reached the surprisingly vegetated top of the mountain. There wasn't much of a view. Only billions of hills racing in every direction with splotches of farmland on the horizon, a forest shielding the capital, and a few other villages at least three days from here.

"Well, that's disappointing," Bloom commented.

"I guess there's nothing to see here. Shall we head back down?" Xander suggested, smiling. What was this guy's deal?!

"You mean we hiked all the way up here for nothing?!" Stella exclaimed. Everyone had already agreed the other two mountains were their next stops on the tour. She wasn't sure she could take another minute of 'roughing it'!

Helia, who had been silent for most of the trip, suddenly spoke up. "We didn't. Let's all search the area for clues; maybe our killer's been here."

That made sense. Following instructions, everyone split into teams of two. Stella was paired with Xander. He didn't help her. All he did was watch his dragging feet, murmur under his breath, and jump three meters off the ground at every sudden noise.

Meanwhile, Stella tried to scan the area, but all she could focus on were the stiches in her side and her sore feet. The Winx girl was just about to cry out again when-

"Hey everyone! I think you'd want to see this!" Sky hollered from a way's away. Stella followed the sound.

"What is it?" the fairy heard Aisha, his partner, ask as Stella turned past the gnarled tree to where the others stood. Xander followed, muttering louder than before. The sounds were nearly intelligible now.

The rest of the party was all crowded around something on the sloped ground. Stella walked over to stand with her friends when she saw what they were staring at. A large red swirl was painted into a patch of tough packed dirt.

"Why is that there?" the others shrugged.

"You see, ma'am, that symbol is an extremely common decoration in Borreania. It's probably just graffiti." The boy's explanation might've been convincing if he hadn't paused to think on it every other word. Xander rolled up his sleeve and unclasped a tacky gold bracelet. "See the pendant, ma'am?"

Stella snatched the ugly thing from him. The exact same red swirl appeared to be painted on it as well. _Why? _"Hmm, looks similar. Let's compare the two." She limped over to the one on the mountain peak.

"NO!" Xander whispered, and then covered his mouth. Stella and a few others shot him a questioning look before the sun fairy continued with what she intended to do.

She carelessly laid it down on top of the so called 'graffiti' and took a step back. They weren't lined up at all. Stella picked it back up, turned it a bit, and then laid the bracelet back down. Still not matching.

"I don't think it matters, Stella. Give the poor boy his thing back." Tecna interrupted, gesturing to Xander. He'd finally quit whispering to nothing, and was now staring at her with an expression of sheer terror. Stella wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but now she was worried he might run from the spot screaming if she did. And besides, after years of fashion fiascoes, it bothered Stella when things didn't match!

"Hold on, Tec! He'll get it back soon." the fairy played with it for several times more.

"Plaid and stripes!" Stella shot backwards. When she had picked up the guy's bracelet that last time, the swirl and its surrounding earth faded away: just like that!

Her initial reaction was followed by several inspections of the new hole, including a scan by Tecna's phone. It appeared to be a small tunnel right into the mountain!

"Where does it go?" Timmy asked aloud.

"I wonder how many Borreanians know about this." Flora added.

Everybody turned to the only native among them. "Xander?" Bloom questioned him.

Xander was holding his hands behind his back, glancing anywhere but at the hole and his tourists. He didn't seem to have heard Bloom, so she tried a few more times to get the boy's attention.

"REXIM!" Sky barked. It did the trick.

Xander saluted. "Y-Yes, sir?"

Sky pointed to the tunnel in case he hadn't already seen it. '"Explain to us how your girly bracelet made that hole appear out of nowhere!"

Was the younger guy really sweating? Stella wondered. _In this weather?_

"I-I don't k-know, sir. I h-have never witnessed such a thing h-h-happening, s-sir." Xander tried to salute again, but his arm was trembling too much.

Flora must've though his answer came too quickly. "What's wrong, Xander? Where does this secret passage lead to?"

"How about this," Riven cut in while Xander was still working up the courage to respond. "Our guide here gets to, well, _guide_ us down there. Since he won't tell us what's inside, we'll just have to see for ourselves. Oh, and Rexim," Riven gave him his worst glare. "Whatever we find, we will all act as like it's one-hundred percent your fault." The boy was horrified.

A few members of the party gulped, including Stella. "We're going down there? What about the Shadow Dragon?"

Brandon nudged their anxious guide. "With the way his luck is going, our perpetrator will be there."

Their navigator gave off a girlish yelp as Timmy handed him a flashlight. Xander was the first to step through. Then came Tecna and the rest of the group, with Riven waiting at the rear.

"Oh wow!" Tecna exclaimed a few steps in.

"What is it?" Stella asked hesitantly from nearly right outside.

"There's a Substance Projector down here! That explains so much!"

"Whoa, there are barely any in Borreania!" Timmy joined once he'd entered. "You know-"

"You can teach us all how it works later," Riven cut him off as he entered with the bracelet. It was a good thing he went last, because the hole closed itself behind them once it was inside. Several flinched.

"Xander, you better have a way out," Bloom sounded a little put off at the loss of an escape route.

The tunnel was skinny. Only one person could fit through at a time, so theyhad to walk in a single line. The ceiling hung close, a few centimeters below Stella's head. Everyone excluding Xander had to duck in order to avoid banging skulls. The passage also appeared empty with no signs or torches. Still, Stella had no doubts about it being man made. The twists and turns were too exact, and there was very little wearing away on the walls. Not like the one she'd once found on Solaria. That one was built by cave spiders. _What kind of person would go through all this trouble?_ The fairy wondered.

Suddenly, Stella shivered. Aside from Xander's flashlight, there wasn't any light. Nothing here had ever seen the sun. But still, there was something else…

"This is a long tunnel," Musa noticed.

"How long have we been in here?" Stella wondered, starting to shake.

"Almost twenty nine minutes now," Tecna answered. "We are moving at an extremely slow rate of roughly two point one kilometers per hour, nothing I can help there."

"Rexim, walk faster!" Sky commanded from right behind Tecna.

His order was obeyed instantly, so it was a surprise when Xander suddenly screeched to a halt. He was staring ahead, eyes squinted. Then came a loud scream, and the passageway went dark.

"What's wrong, Bloom?" Aisha asked from farther back.

"That wasn't a girl, Aisha," Bloom replied. "What's going on?"

"I-I saw something ahead turn that corner!" Xander cried.

"What?" Stella exclaimed. All this darkness, a person ahead…

But then Sky found the dropped flashlight and flipped it on. He briefly scanned their surroundings. "I see nothing. You're losing it."

"If he hasn't already," Riven muttered under his breath, just loud enough for everybody to hear.

Xander stuttered some, but quickly shut up. No one here was going to believe him.

_I'm probably imagining it_, Stella reasoned. She'd never really liked going underground. Dark places tended to make her edgy, that's all.

"You're alright, Stella." Flora said from behind her boyfriend, who nodded.

Reassured, Stella agreed to continue on down the tunnel with Sky somehow in the lead. A few minutes later, they came across the remains of a single torch, causing everyone to eye Xander's claim a touch more seriously. Despite the evidence, they didn't come across anyone or anything else until at least an hour later.

The twelve of them spilled into a large cavern. Right ahead, a wide moat of clear water preceded tall walls constructed out of materials from the mountain. Above the walls was, if you can believe it, the noonday sun!

Or, that's what it appeared to be. Being the great fairy of the shining sun, Stella could sense that the star down here wasn't the real deal. Besides, it didn't get rid of her strange fear. Whatever had been scaring her, it was still there. And lots of it.

She started to speak. "Who-"

Suddenly, Aisha sharply nudged her. Stella was about to ask why, but her friend placed a finger to her lips. The expression she wore was of complete urgency.

Silently, Tecna pointed to a spot a ways down the wall. Someone or something was seated there, facing in. He or she wore a long brown cloak with its hood pulled up, obscuring their form.

Then Stella saw the weapons.

In each hand, the creature held one long silver stick with a pointed tip. _Spike, _Stella corrected herself. Wait, a lone silver spike was the prince's death weapon. Was that that thing really the-

_Shadow Dragon._ Aisha mouthed.

Quickly, the other Winx and their boyfriends caught on. This was their time. The Solarian princess felt her pulse quicken.

Bloom made the first move. "Come down from the wall. You are officially under arrest for assassinating Prince Kazen!"

The figure stood slowly. Its hood was still up, but the infamous thief/murderer dropped the heavy cloak. Gasps were heard as the group took in the creature's true appearance. The Shadow Dragon… is a teenage girl?

Her clothing was simple and dirty. A large white blouse hung on her short frame with a matching white skirt. Both were cloaked in dirt and potentially worse. She also had on new looking black shoes that were noticeably too big for her.

But none of that was what made Stella notice. Her gaze was drawn to the thick rope belt with even more fatal spikes bound across the hips.

The exposed assassin turned to face the source of all the noise. Eyes like colorless flame burned with sudden anger in a bony face with light skin and blood red lips. Her jaw seemed clenched as well.

Tangled platinum hair sailed behind the villain as she leaped clean over the moat The girl landed lightly on two feet, but kept a fair distance

"Wow, the entire Bitch Club in person," she said dryly. "All I was expecting was a squadron of guards."

"Bitch Club? Really?" Tecna raised an eyebrow. "You have no right for slander like that!"

"Enough talk," Musa took a step forward. "Hands up, Shadow Killer!"

Whatever reaction they'd been expecting, none at all wasn't it. "Look, I'm flattered all six of you took the time out of your overprotected, privileged life to apprehend a petty, but existent crook like me. Still, it seems you've got the wrong idea. Killing the local prince was not my deed."

Aisha placed one foot ahead. "You're lying. Now come with us and we won't hurt you."

The criminal showed no sign of hearing the fairy's threat, "Eh, I might not be pulling a ridiculous publicity stunt to get you more fame, but at least you're trying to be real heroes, and not the conceited bitches you really are." The thief smirked.

Stella gasped, eyes seeing red. "The only bitch here is you!"

"Please don't," Xander mumbled, eyes pleading.

That caught the girl's attention. "You!" she aimed a finger at Xander. "You must think you're _all that_, handing me a refuge, then leading people like them right here to your beloved 'secret village'!" The Shadow Dragon placed some snappy air quotes at the end, then shook her head sadly. "Poor Nuebon. He's going to be very disappointed."

_Nuebon? Secret village? _Stella's head was spinning.

Xander's face fell. "Nuebon? No... it-it isn't like that! I was just trying to…"

"Trying to what, exactly?" She shot him down with an exceptionally fierce glare. "Take. Your. Stupid. Medallion. BACK!" The girl pitched him something red and gold that Xander failed to catch.

"What's going on here?" Riven demanded.

The Shadow Dragon acknowledged the other specialists' presence. "That pathetic boy is despicable! He helps me escape, swearing to secrecy-"

"HE WHAT!?" They all exclaimed, expressions almost comical.

She covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Oh, were you not supposed to be doing that?" The girl leaned in, her fiery eyes ablaze with hate, "Well, I'll let you in on something else you shouldn't have done: bringing in these overrated clowns in to arrest me."

The criminal faced the Winx. "In answer to your earlier statement, you seem to be suffering under the delusion that I'm coming quietly." She paused for dramatic effect, sething with unexplained rage. "Why no, I won't be 'coming quietly'. In fact…" she fixed them with another cold, condescending stare. "I'm not coming at all."

"If you want a fight-" Bloom rushed to begin.

"-then you've got one," Stella finished for her.

"Magic Winx! Sirenix!"

Stella felt the familiar rush of warm magic course through her. The glowing energy grew from her heart and raced to her fingers and toes. "Princess Stella, Fairy of the Shining Sun!"

She landed back on her feet, wings fluttering. Stella glanced from side to side to be sure the other Winx were ready.

Now the Shadow Dragon looked a little upset, but it didn't show in her tone.

"Oh, you wanted a magic battle." The girl noted.

"How else would fairies fight?" Stella challenged.

The younger girl shrugged, trying to back off. She muttered to herself, "Oh Dragon, you've_ really_ done it now…"

"Let's get moving!" Stella shouted, not expecting much.

"Capture her only," Tecna commanded, sending a green grid cage into Rileianna's way. The girl showed a moment of panic, before the sphere stopped in midair, and Tecna's cage dissipated to nothing.

"Huh?" The girl looked down, then composed herself, grabbed a spike, and threw. Sky dodged just in time.

"Vines!" Flora yelled. Thick corded plants shot out of the ground. The Shadow Dragon didn't even see them this time, but Flora's vines froze, withered, and died before disappearing in the same way.

"Whirlpool!" Aisha tried next. Like the last two attempts, her attack stopped midway. Helia tried to catch her with a plain rope next, but she snapped it in half with another spike a second befor it hit her body, the detached side falling to the ground.

Stella, ignoring Tecna's order, went for a full on attack. She wasn't the only one.

"Solar blast!"

"Dragon's rage!"

"Sonic boom!"

All three came at the Shadow Dragon. She couldn't stop them all at once, could she?

But she could. The yellow ball of energy, the transparent orange dragon, and the circular pink waves stopped half a meter away from their target, covered in an odd purple, spun a half turn around the assassin, and continued their flight. The redirected attacks hit everyone in their company, causing immediate unconsciousness, sparing only Stella and the offender.

The teen looked very surprised at what just happened, but then she was back to showing no reaction. _Who does that witch think she is?_

"Okay, you had your fun!" Stella crossed her arms. "Let's finish this!" While preparing for one more offense, the Fairy of the Shining Sun saw a flash of alarm upon the fugitive's face as she took a defensive stance.

_Gotcha_, Stella could only smile in preparation of a victory.

But before she could release her attack, a different colored light came off of Rileianna and struck her into unconsciousness...

…

Rilei may have done her best to pretend differently, but those fairies had really caught her off guard. Also, that sudden burst of magic that took down- Stella, was it? Did that come from herself? What about diverting the earlier assaults?Is that way she was so exhausted? What the heck just happened?

Never mind that. She had to get going.

The people at the village were already under fire because of that selfish Xander, she couldn't make matters worse. The most she could do was wish them goodwill, for helping her last night. _I hope they made it out alright_, she thought.

"Buh bye, Winx. It was… interesting to meet you." Rilei gathered her projectile and made off toward the entrance. But something made her stop, like she'd run into an invisible wall. What, how did that happen? A thousand sparks of that strange purple materialized all around her.

Rilei knew she was teleporting, even though she had no idea how. It seemed to take hours, and a dark pit of dread took refuge in her in her stomach. Something's horribly wrong here. It had been that way all day. That feeling...

When she finally saw her surroundings, Rilei had no idea where she was. "What the-"

**A/N: PTV Speaks: Amazing news! This story officially has over 900 views! I can't believe so many people have read (or at least clicked on) this story.**

**Sorry about the wait, but SME and I had some major edits take place, and just wanted to make sure the chapter was great (especially the part where the Winx meet Rilei). We promise Chapter Seven will be here the 24th (Next Friday).  
**

**No one had any questions, surprisingly, but we'd like to say a special thanks to cybercorpsesnake and To die upon a kiss. Can't believe the two of you reviewed every single chapter! We're grateful for all the points you brought up and all the help you have given: this chapter wouldn't have been half as good without you!**

**Oh gosh, that's a long A/N. Anything you'd like to add, SME?**

**SME: Hello mankind. In case you were wondering where we were, my moirail and I were busy modifying our later chapters, among other things...**

**I would like to thank To die upon a kiss in particular all thine advice. Heh heh English class joke... Still your opinions helped us out. A lot.**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"This plan better work," Icy heard her sister mutter under her blazing breath as she shuffled uncomfortably. The witch hissed when Storm elbowed her in the hip, then tried to shove her away.

"Relax," she responded. "It will."

Stormy, unlike her sister, was in a burning, steamy cauldron of smothering anger and impatience. Honestly, the ice witch didn't get it. The shrub they were in wasn't nearly as bad as the Queen of Storms made it seem. It was the only one around in the stark landscape that would even be able fit the two of them. So it was extremely cramped, but that didn't meant complaining about it every minute or so.

"Tell me again how this is going to get the pixie," her kin shifted her weight to keep herself from going completely crabbed.

"Really? This is all _your_ idea!" Icy was losing patience. "Darcy goes to the mountain and gets into the village unnoticed. She'll keep the irksome Wimx pixies off of the girl without revealing her presence, and when the moment's right, she'll transport the fairy here right into our outstretched hands. All we've got to do is capture her and deliver Rileianna to the old wrinkle faces, and then we're totally free." She turned to face her sister. "Do I really need to repeat that? Maybe nice and slowly this time for you?"

"No!" Stormy clearly caught the sarcasm, "I just think the next time we come up some master plan, we should at least get it to move faster. I'm getting stiff here!"

"How was I supposed to know Darcy's going to take her sweet time?" Icy snapped.

"Do we even actually need to be in this stupid bush? Why can't we just stand up and attack the fairy when she comes?"

"Because, if the rumors around here are true, Rileianna could react quickly and transform."

"There's a reason why they're called rumors and not facts. Besides, the Ancestral Witches said she hasn't even gotten her powers yet."

"I'm not taking any chances. We will not be careless, and there will be no mistakes. She could just transform in the middle of your proposed fight! Remember what happened with Bloom?"

"Of course I remember!" Stormy screeched. "Don't remind me!"

"Exactly! So shut your complaining and follow your own scheme! Or do you want to be a damn servant forever?!"

"No!" Stormy yelled, her face hardly an inch away.

"Then shut up and do this one thing, for all of us!" Icy shoved Stormy away, almost hurling her out of their bush.

She caught her balance quick, eyes wide. There was a pause before her sister spoke again. "Do you really think so?"

The ice witched glared at Stormy, eyes squinted. "Think what?"

"That we can really get out of this? Once and for all?"

Icy thought about it. They been through so much, attempted so many things that always seemed to fail in the end. Their schemes, their jobs, their assignments, something always went wrong, sending the entire thing spiraling downward. But still, why couldn't some things work out? They weren't hurting a bunch of people, weren't wreaking destruction.

Hope wasn't something Icy normally relied on, but she'd always believed they'd eventually be free, one way or another. _There's a way. There _has _to be!_

She stated her answer swiftly, "We could."

"Huh." Stormy took the reply in. She then asked, "What do you think the old hags will do with the girl?"

Icy herself wondered why would the three would want the fairy. Even though Icy heard this one was rougher than most, she'd still figured the girl was the same. Some ditz with wings. Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. End of story.

Still, if she and her sisters manage to capture this Rileianna, they would finally be manumitted from the old forces. So why should it concern them?

"That doesn't matter," she said coolly.

Another bout of silence fell. Neither girl felt a need to break it. It might be quiet now, but It would never stay that way. For people like Icy, things never did.

After about ten minutes, a purple portal final appeared in mid-air dropping their target.

The woman with a heart of ice watched as the small girl shakily got up to her feet before looking around, surveying her surroundings.

"What the… Where am I?" She heard her say.

_Aww... the little girl's all lost._

Icy couldn't give a crap.

Simultaneously, they jumped out of their hiding spot. The fairy heard the noise, eyes darting over to their space.

"Who are..." she stopped, then ran.

The two witches began to chase, then decided against it. Icy glanced to her side, and nodded.

The command "Ice Tower!" came with the intended spell following.

The stupid girl didn't even have time to form a reaction when she was stuck inside a block of frozen water.

The two witches analyzed their prize, their one key to freedom, as it stood still like a statue. The expression was of mild shock, some determination, and exhaustion.

"I thought that would be more of a challenge," she heard Stormy murmured. "That was too easy."

"Be grateful it was," Icy stared down the chunk in front of them. "We got the girl."

And just then, another portal opened, about a meter behind them.

"Darcy," Stormy acknowledged the young lady before her.

"I'm assuming things went well for you?" Icy asked.

The witch nodded mutely. "We were right about everything." She glanced to their captive, a fugitive in ice. "Now all we have to do is take her to the gate..."

**A/Ns: PTV speaks: Major edits are still taking place on some chapters, but we wanted to keep our promise because you all already had to wait too long on chapter six.**

**I would also like to point out that this is the only legitimate chapter below the 1.5K goal line (how we keep our chapters with enough going on and not becoming a fragment). After the longest so far comes the absolute shortest. Despite the length, SME (the one who wrote the entire chapter and took it upon herself to edit the Suedom out), assures me of her confidence in the changes she made from the original, seeing the chapter as redeemed.**

**I'm sorry that people didn't like out last chapter, despite our efforts to prefect it for you all. When almost no one has anything to say, what else should I think? Still, a special thanks to To die upon a kiss for all your support and ideas on every single chapter. I always appreciate it.**

**Wow, my A/Ns just keep getting longer and longer! (Laughs) Still, SME hasn't told me hat she wants to say, so I guess she doesn't have comment. All reviews are warmly accepted!**

**Wait, never mind! Here she is now:**

**SME speaks: I know this wasn't the best. Heh, you should've seen the first draft. Still, I would like to your your thoughts, and feel free to criticize!**


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